The prime minister has said the so far hundreds of victims of breast cancer care failings at County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust will get “all of the answers they need”.
Speaking to BBC Politics North, Andy Burnham said he would ensure the “fullest possible inquiry”, but would not guarantee what form it would take. His pledge comes after the trust agreed to review up to a further 4,500 cases including delayed diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries.
Burnham also promised to visit Teesside and address the “unfair shortage” of Cleveland Police officers.
Meanwhile, he said he wanted to address transport issues across north-east England, including the long-running row over dualling the A1.
The prime minister said he could “only imagine” the distress caused to women who suffered harm at the Durham and Darlington trust, where a review into what one patient called “absolutely unforgivable” treatment is now looking back as far as 2015.
It was recently revealed concerns were first raised at least 11 years ago, but the trust had so far only reviewed 538 cases dating back to 2023, with 321 having experienced some form of harm including one death.
